What, who or where are the voices of the anti-Trump majority?

Every day, we hear and read Donald Trump spew hate and lies and division.

Increasingly, we are seeing its effects.

But if – as I still firmly believe — that does not represent who we are as a people, and the majority of Americans reject Trump’s values, then why aren’t we hearing those voices more loudly?

To find the antithetical view to one political party, we generally turn to the opposition party. (And as I wrote on Friday, the midterm elections nest week present a hugely significant opportunity for the people to be heard.) But if the Democratic Party were a coherent, effective, consistent and sincere voice of anti-Trumpist values, I wouldn’t be asking this question in the first place.

Maybe it’s the media’s fault. Maybe those voices are out there – many of them women and minorities – but our elite journalistic organizations can’t hear them, or don’t want to, or don’t think what they have to say is news, certainly not day after day.

But for now, here’s a not-well-ordered first-draft list of some of the principles that I think most Americans share that I think get drowned out because Trump is so loud abut expressing his own:

We are not a white-nationalist nation, and we don’t want to be.

We are a pluralistic nation that values diversity.

We oppose divisive rhetoric.

We believe that empathy is essential to political leadership.

We oppose the politics of fear.

We respect leaders who constantly tell the truth, rather than those who constantly lie.

We don’t think that our society’s problems are simple and that the right Leader can fix them easily.

We think our society’s problems are complex, and the solutions are sometimes hard.

We support a free press, particularly when it holds the powerful accountable, and even when we disagree with it.

We strive for domestic tranquility, not a society with armed guards everywhere.

We oppose political violence and political terrorism.

We don’t blame others for our problems.

We think a president should abandon partisanship in moments of national crisis.

We listen to women, and oppose any force that systematically diminishes them or their contributions.

Same for people of color, immigrants — or anyone.

We believe the government has no say in people’s gender identity, sexual orientation, or what they do with their bodies.

We believe that the government has a responsibility to provide a robust social safety net.

I just don’t see these as particularly controversial. Do you? And do you feel like you hear them sufficiently voiced in the political discourse?

Surely there are much better versions of this list out there. Point me to them. Suggest changes.

Earlier today, I posted my question on Facebook:

And Twitter:

So I’m asking myself this question today: Who, what or where is the anti-Trump? If I believe that this is not who we are, who is my champion? Why aren’t we hearing this message more loudly? Please respond with your thoughts.

1 thought on “What, who or where are the voices of the anti-Trump majority?”

Either as a point of ideology or in actual practice it would appear that most Americans do not agree with list you’ve complied.

We are not pluralistic nation that values diversity. America has worked as well as it has because we assimilate cultures, not because we coexist with them. Real diversity can be found in such places as post-cold war Yugoslavia and Rwanda not stable societies.

We most certainly do apply simple solutions to complex problems i.e. the answer to mass shootings is gun control.

We do not oppose divisive rhetoric, we thrive off it. Its literally the cornerstone of free speech.

We do not oppose the politics of fear and every administration and political movement has used it to achieve their own ends.

While most people do oppose political violence, it wasn’t always the case. In 1972, there were 2500 acts of domestic terrorism in the United States. The individuals behind it weren’t hauled off to jail with most escaping prosecution and embedding themselves in legislatures, academia and left wing think tanks.

We constantly blame other people for our problems.

We only listen to women when they reinforce what we believe. When they don’t we demonize and demean them. The same for people of color, immigrants — or anyone

We most certainly do not believe the government has a responsibility to provide a robust social safety net.

The fact that you cant even recognize that a significant numbers of Americans do not agree with on these topics would lead a rational person to conclude they need to step out of their bubble. I doubt that will ever happen in your case though.